Strike!
by Svjati
Summary: This is a part of a ship collaboration fic I did with my friend Dspook, both of us writing from the perspectives of Kiba/Ino and Shino/Tenten respectively as they go on a group date. This is my first piece of the collab. It's not very good but I wanted to post my first "finished" oneshot to gain feedback on how my writing is going. I wanted to capture their dynamic :) Thoughts pls


"Mmm.. No.

"Nope.

"Oh God, I haven't thrown this out yet?!-

"Nope... Nope... Ehhh... Nah," Ino hummed to herself as she tossed numerous frilly and silky tops, dresses, and skirts piece by piece across her violet bedspread. Soft colours, pastel, turquoise, cottony and satin fabrics littered the room as she huffed about, trying to settle on a single prized item. Nothing compared to the state her room had been on her first date, though. She was glad of that. Took damn near the whole afternoon to clean the place up the following day, she thought sardonically.

"AHA!" Ah, there it was. The picture of simplistic beauty. A white cotton sweater with purple striping across the sleeves and followed the collar jumped out at her from the depths of her closet. After all, they were only going bowling, she thought, perhaps she'd try her hand at "modesty" for the night. Besides, it would go with her black leggings she'd donned for the night. She slapped it on as quickly as possible, catching notice of her lacy white bra in the mirror opposite. _If Kiba plays his cards right he might get to see it, _she mused lightly, an impish smirk playing across her freshly cleansed face.

Spritzing on her favourite lilac perfume her father had gotten her for her 17th birthday (she'd only used it on _special _occasions—that is, if there was any chance of eliciting _special _responses from the musk's power it held over certain persons with outrageously powerful noses), Ino considered the date they had planned before them. Shino and Tenten were great together, everyone knew it, and from the bottom of her heart she was glad that her fellow kunoichi found true happiness in a man, and that Shino was treating her as good as any man could. She just was a little apprehensive about spending the evening with the Aburame heir. Could the guy even form a dialogue with anyone without talking about...bugs, or his favourite foods, or something that might make her _interested? _Ino huffed as she pulled her lengthy blonde ponytail out of her sweater. Maybe that was a bit harsh of a judgment to administer her comrade. She'd known him practically all her life, and yet she barely knew him. Sometimes he reminded her of Shikamaru—so far away, so lost in his own world and desires and advanced thoughts on the life that surrounded them all, but it was still an effective measure of defence against her. Ino might've liked to get to know the poor guy, if only he'd lower his collared coat and let them see him smile or laugh every now and then. Show some _humanity._

Ino shook her head and chuckled. _I'm a little shallow. _

She was just tying her white sneakers onto her feet when the doorbell rang. "About time," she grunted, but nonetheless her steps were light as air as she bounded over to open the door to her apartment.

About a head taller than her, a pair of elongated canines glinted in the dusky light of the street lamps. "Hi, honey," Kiba Inuzuka greeted huskily, though the humour was not absent from his voice. "Ready for our rendezvous with the Dynamic Duo?"

Ino beamed and attacked him with a hug, twirling around his body in a swinging motion with the grace of an exotic dancer. This excited a surprised and delighted response in the male shinobi, who gave a rough chuckle and planted a deep kiss on her glossed soft lips. _Mmm, watermelon. _"Come to think of it," he growled, "we could always ditch them—and just, stay...a little while here for fun...yeah?"

Ino hummed against his lips, causing a buzzing sensation that shook down Kiba's stomach and made him almost slam the door shut behind him with his foot and carry out his words, but she tutted as she pulled away and smiled. "We aren't going to ditch them," she stated simply, mischievous large eyes wooing him into some other big blue world. "That would be," she pecked him chastely once more, _"rude." _She pulled away from him with some restrained difficulty, taking in his fresh outdoorsy, masculine musk mixed with some divine cologne, crinkling her nose. "So aren't you excited?" She asked, her clear voice ringing delightfully in his sharp ears. "It's our first double date, and I want it to go well."

Kiba shrugged. "I guess," he noted, watching Ino flit around the apartment as she gathered her coat, purse, and house keys. "Shino's been pretty lowkey looking forward to it this whole week. He'd never admit to it, but I could tell," he ended with a chuckle, recalling the oddly happy behaviours Shino had been during their bouts of training and lunch outings during the past week. Though they'd pass invisibly to mostly anyone else—save for Tenten, maybe, at this point—Shino was a fairly open book to Kiba. Though, like his comrade, he'd sooner die than admit it.

Ino smiled thoughtfully at Kiba's words and turned to him with a tilted head as she tied up her coat. "I'm happy that someone out there understands that guy as much as you do, Kiba," she said suddenly, with a tone of awe in her voice.

Kiba blinked, then reddened slightly. "I've only known the guy since I could walk!" he half-shouted, eager to dismiss any implications of affections between him and his teammate. "It's hard not to get used to his nitpicking or general creepy social graces after 17 years." He took Ino's hand as she shut the door behind them, locking the knob, and travelling out into the brisk dusk.

Ino laughed. "And now Tenten is seeing the other side of him, too," she noted, and squeezed the large, rough hand encasing hers. A while passed and nothing was said between them as they made their way through the markets, sidewalks, and passageways of Konoha. Suddenly she let out a thought that was tugging at her mind. "Do you think I could get to know them better—do you think, now that he has Tenten—Shino could be...understandable?" Ino looked up at her partner, curiosity brimming in two miniature oceans.

Kiba sighed and gently swung her arm back and forth. "He's not that hard to get to know, if you try." He said. "Shino's got a human side. You're right though, I think Tenten's gonna be uncovering a side of him even I don't really know."

Ino mulled over his words as they neared the building at the end of the lane. Resolving in her mind that she'd get to know this enigmatic couple once and for all, she decided to let this night not pass without a healthy deal of excitement and wonder. Ino had always liked secrets brimming to full exposure—that might be why she stuck with Kiba after inadvertently nudging his thigh one day, about a year ago...

She pinched his butt and he let out a surprised howl. She giggled and he nipped her ear in retaliation. The blunt and sunny couple approached the bowling alley, about to meet their binary opposites, the cloudy and yet not unloving pair beckoned to them from within.


End file.
